An Ancient Evil
by Myengun
Summary: Oneshot written for a fanfic competition several years ago on a Hellboy fan forum (it won!) The stipulations of the contest were that a floor buffing had to be included in the story...don't ask me why... The B.P.R.D. are called to Denmark to investigate reports of a monster of legend that is back for revenge. Rated T for violence, language and gore. please R&R!


Hellboy awoke with a start to a huge jolt. He sprang out of his bed, looking around wide-eyed. Nobody else was there. "4:32 am", proclaimed his bedside clock in large LED numbers. For some reason the numbers were dancing around wildly. He could feel the floor rumbling under his feet, and stood blinking in confusion for a moment. Then an alarm sounded and a voice came over the speakers:

"Attention: We are experiencing an earthquake. All personnel follow emergency procedures."

"Aw, crud!" Hellboy yelled. Instead of retreating to a corner and curling into a ball like he was supposed to, he flung open the door and raced to Liz's room.

Upon reaching it, he charged right through it and the oak door splintered like matchwood. Liz sat hunched in her bed, pale and hyperventilating, clearly in shock from being startled out of sleep.

Hellboy gathered her up in his arms. "C'mon babe, gotta take cover. Don't worry, we'll be alright." He said to her, as soothingly as he could. Her only answer was a small whimper. He set her down in a nearby corner and covered her with his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the first piece of concrete to come crashing down on him from the ceiling.

Then, it stopped.

Aside from their heavy breathing, one could hear a pin drop in the remaining silence. After a few moments, Hellboy cautiously unfolded himself and slowly stood up, with Liz clinging tightly to him. He looked down at her. "You okay?"

Liz took a deep breath. "Yeah…I think so…" she said shakily. "You?"

"Always," Hellboy said. "Well, I always wondered what an earthquake was like. Now I can say I don't really care for 'em. Especially in the wee hours of the morning."

Liz gripped Hellboy's arm tighter. "Oh, Red, we'd better check on the Professor," she said worriedly.

"Damn. Not to mention Brother Blue. Look, stay here. Be ready to get under the bed in case it happens again, ok?"

Liz nodded and sat on the bed, folding her hands tightly in her lap. Hellboy kissed her and sped off down the hall towards his father's room.

As he neared it, he was greatly relieved to see that Professor Broom was already out and walking around. Hellboy ran up and hugged his father tightly.

"Pop. I'm glad you're okay. Liz is fine. Have you seen Abe yet?"

"I'm going to check on him right now. I'm glad you're both unharmed. That was quite a rumble." The Professor exclaimed. They both walked as quickly as they could for the library.

They entered to find Abe standing, dripping, on a puddle on the rug in the middle of the room. He looked in their direction as they entered.

"Professor. Red." He said, relief in his voice. "Liz is alright too?"

"Yes. It seems that everyone is fine, thank goodness." The Professor said. A spattering sound caught his attention, and he looked to see that it was coming from Abe's aquarium. A large crack ran down one side of the glass, from floor to ceiling. Thankfully it had not split open, but it was wide enough for water to trickle through steadily onto the floor.

"Oh, dear." The Professor sighed. "I'd better get Maintenance on that right away." He headed for his office phone.

Hellboy laid his hand heavily on Abe's shoulder. "Damn. Must have scared the crap out of you, eh, buddy?" He asked sympathetically.

"An understatement. I think I moved faster than I ever have in my life when I saw that crack run up the glass. Which is why I'm standing here ruining the carpet." Hellboy noted the sodden spot on the floor under Abe's feet and grimaced.

Prof. Broom returned from his office. "Maintenance is on their way. They'll seal and brace the crack temporarily, Abe, but we'll need to drain your tank and replace the glass in a couple days. Sorry, but you'll have to be in the reserve tank for awhile."

Abe frowned. "I feel like a Betta fish in that tiny space."

Prof. Broom patted him on the back sympathetically. "Sorry, Abe, but we have to make do with what we have for now."

"I know, Professor. I guess I'm a little cranky." Abe said apologetically.

"No worries, my boy – I think we're all a bit grumpy at this hour." The Professor assured him. He gave him another pat and Abe headed off to set up the reserve tank. The phone in the Professor's office began to ring, and he hurried over to grab it.

Hellboy waited in the library, staring at the leaking crack in the aquarium. A couple minutes later Prof. Broom emerged from his office with a relieved look.

"Well, that was Manning. Everyone in the other perimeters are ok. Besides Abe's tank, there's a few other sections where the walls have cracked and will need repairing, but otherwise everything is all right. Apparently it was a moderate earthquake, some building collapse and injuries around the city, but so far there's been no reported deaths."

Hellboy raised one eyebrow. "Did he say what to do now? I mean, is it safe to go and try to get some more sleep?"

"It appears that everything is stable right now. I've got security monitoring TV and radio reports – they'll let us know if there's any more trouble expected."

Hellboy grunted. "Good enough. Sorry Pop, but I'm dead tired. I better go catch a few more Z's."

"As should I. Sleep well, son."

Hellboy gave his father a hug and hurried back to check on Liz. She was still sitting on her bed, absentmindedly pulling loose threads from the bedspread. Hellboy sat down beside her and told her the news.

Liz frowned. "I don't know if I can sleep after this. I'm all nervous now."

Hellboy put his arm around her shoulders. "Wanna come snuggle with the big, red teddy bear? I won't let anything happen to you. You gotta try to get back to sleep."

The corners of Liz's mouth turned upwards slightly. "All right. It might calm me down to stay with you." They both stood up and went back to Hellboy's room, arm in arm.

Sleep came, but not for long. Just after 7am, everyone was startled awake again, this time by the alarm.

Snuggled together in Hellboy's bed, Liz jumped, and Hellboy practically fell out of bed. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and scowling. "Ah, geez, why the hell does a call have to come in now? I'm gonna need some major coffee this morning. Don't bother getting up, darlin', I'll go see what the deal is and come back."

"Thanks." Liz croaked exhaustedly from under the sheets.

Hellboy sloppily dressed himself and then went down to the library. Manning and Abe were already there. Hellboy could tell right off from the look on Manning's face that he was not in a good mood.

Manning turned towards him as he entered. "Rise and shine. You like danishes, don't you?" He asked.

Hellboy looked confused. "Sure, yeah…"

Manning cut him off. "Good. 'Cause you're going to Denmark. Get your gear ready."

Hellboy let out an exasperated groan and rolled his eyes. "It's gonna be one of those damn Murphy's Law days. What the heck is happening in Denmark that they can't handle themselves?"

Manning looked him square in the eye. "Stop your complaining and listen up. This is serious. Turns out that quake we had was from a fault line that runs along the ocean floor. That line extends all the way to Denmark – the quake started there and traveled along the fault to us. We got the condensed version of it, though. They had it worse. Now, we don't know what's going on, but I guess some seismologists were scouting the moors around 6am, recording damage to the land, and they came across a lake. Guess at first they thought there were tree limbs floating in the water, but there wasn't – turns out it was body parts."

Hellboy frowned, but kept listening.

Manning went on. "Kids. All of them. Dismembered. About 7 of them, from what they could piece back together. They got forensics on the scene pretty damn fast. At first they thought it was the work of some psycho who had dumped the bodies in the lake, and the quake jarred them back up to the surface, but no. There were large wounds made by teeth and claws that didn't match up with any animal species in the area. And the corpses are fresh, really fresh – Maybe a couple hours old. There are a lot of parents who don't even know their kid's missing yet."

Hellboy felt a chill run through him. "Damn."

Abe spoke up. "Red, have you read Beowulf?"

Hellboy scratched his head. "Yeah, ages ago. What's that have to do with anything?"

Abe lifted up a thick book that had been lying on a table beside him. "They believe that quake may have awakened a very serious foe indeed." He opened the book and flipped through a few pages, then handed it to Hellboy.

Hellboy took it. One page was taken up by a large illustration of a looming, shadowy figure. Underneath the picture was the word:

GRENDEL

Hellboy looked at Abe in disbelief. "Come on. Beowulf was written in, what, the 8th or 9th century? It's just a poem. You know, like Homer's Odyssey. Nothing more than that. Besides, Beowulf killed Grendel in the story."

Abe took the book back. "Just a poem? Red, we all know that truth is stranger than fiction in our line of work. Perhaps Beowulf he only thought killed the creature. There are some frightening correlations between the descriptions of how the monster killed in the story, and the actual method of death that the children suffered. They say that Grendel lived in a lake – he may have been buried under rock in this particular lake for all these centuries. You know as well as I do that evil has a tendency to come back, especially with revenge as motivation. What better way to punish the descendants of Beowulf, than to take away the most precious thing they have – their own children?"

Hellboy nodded soberly. "I guess we better go stop this thing. Whatever it is."

Later that day, Hellboy, Abe and Liz were packed and on a private plane destined for the city of Almindengen, in Bornholm, Denmark. It was there that the bodies were found, in a lake called Store Grankule.

The plane touched down on an airstrip in a large field, and came to rest in front of a bunker there. They exited and walked towards the bunker, where they were quickly ushered in by two men in dark suits, presumably Danish Intelligence agents.

They entered a dimly lit room, where there was a table with several chairs placed around it. Two other men were already seated there, talking to each other in Danish. One had platinum blond hair in a crewcut and ice-blue eyes; the other also was blue-eyed but had dark hair pulled back in a short ponytail. When they saw the BPRD agents enter, they rose from their seats.

"Welcome, gentlemen and lady," The blond man greeted them kindly, with a softly accented voice. "My name is Anders Olsen, and I will be accompanying you as your translator. This is agent Magnus Sorenson. He's the head of Danish Intelligence, and the one who contacted your organization." Anders and Agent Sorenson extended their hands to the group, and everyone gave a welcoming handshake. Agent Sorenson then motioned for them to sit down.

When they were all settled in, Sorenson spoke to Anders in Danish. Anders listened closely, then took on a serious expression and leaned in towards the group.

"Agent Sorenson says he is sorry you have to visit our fine country under such terrible circumstances. But you do understand that we cannot handle this ourselves, and need your expertise."

"Of course," Abe replied. Anders translated for Sorenson, who nodded in appreciation. He then spoke again, and Anders leaned in closer.

"I trust you have been briefed by your superiors?" he inquired. They all nodded.

Anders glanced at Sorenson, and a look of fear passed between them. Anders then turned back to them and said in hushed tones, "Everyone is in a panic. They are saying that the monster…Grendel…is back from the dead."

At the mention of the creature's name, Sorenson visibly tensed. Anders went on.

"The world knows of the story of Beowulf as a great legend. A literary classic. But it is more than that to us. We believe that Beowulf was flesh and blood. Our ancestor. He slayed the Beast and saved us. But now it has come back again, and we have no great warrior to slay it this time. It comes in the night like a shadow. It kills and feasts on the bodies. Its appetite is unquenchable."

Hellboy lifted his hand to interrupt. "Don't worry. We're going to find whatever it is and take it down. After we're done with it, there'll be no coming back."

Anders translated for Sorensen, who sighed and responded in weary-sounding tones. Anders looked back at them.

"We certainly hope you can do as you say. You can be assured that our prayers are with you. There are some cots in the back room; you may use them for the duration of your stay here. We will have three meals a day served to you, plus you may help yourself to our storage of field rations for when you are out. I apologize for the Spartan conditions, but if the public saw you it would not generate a favorable reaction."

"No problem. We understand." Hellboy said.

Anders translated again, and Sorenson responded. "Very well," Anders said. "We trust you will be wanting some sleep after your long flight. Please make yourselves comfortable. This bunker is small but quite secure; we have several men on guard at all times, plus snipers posted in lookouts around the perimeter. Early tomorrow we have a secured truck that will drive you out to the lake. The area has been cordoned off and there is restricted access to ourselves and the military only, so you will not need to worry about outsiders pestering us."

"Good enough for us." Hellboy said. He stood up and stretched, then they all shook hands with the men again. Anders showed them to a small, stuffy room that had two threadbare but clean cots laid out.

"Agent Sorenson said to tell you thank you again for your help. Will you be able to wake up for 5 a.m.? We will give you some breakfast and then we will go to the site."

"That should be fine," Liz said. "I have an alarm on my watch."

"Excellent," said Anders. He turned to Abe. "For you, fish-fellow….what is your name again?"

"Abraham. But you may call me Abe." Abe replied.

"Yes, yes, Abe. Terribly sorry." Anders apologized. "Abe, Professor Bruttenholm told us of your special needs. We are not equipped with the facilities you have back home in America, but we were able to set up something…suitable…over there." He pointed to a corner further back in the room, where there had been placed a large plastic pond liner. It was full of water, which was quietly circulating via a small pump system beside it on the floor.

"That will be quite sufficient. Thank you." Abe said appreciatively. "I am feeling rather dry, actually." He released the clasp on his respirator and removed it, then pulled his shirt off and slid into the pond and under the water.

Anders blinked a couple times, then shook his head. "Fascinating. Sleep well, friends." He gave them a little nod and left the room.

"Ahhhh," sighed Hellboy. "I am gonna sleep like a log tonight."

"Me too," said Liz. She flopped onto a cot and closed her eyes.

5a.m. arrived with an annoying tinny-sounding beep. Liz woke up right away and jabbed at the button on her watch to shut it off. "You up, Red?" she whispered.

A large lump on the cot next to her shifted and a golden eye peered out at her from under the sheets. "Of course I am. Been awake for most of the night. So much for finally getting some sleep. What are these, doll beds?" He grumbled.

Liz frowned and pushed back her covers. "Red, it's the most they could do for us. I have a feeling Danish Intelligence doesn't have quite the budget that the BPRD does. Plus I don't think they were anticipating someone of your size."

Hellboy snorted. "They went out of their way to make a little splash pool for Gill over there."

Abe's blue head poked out of the water. "Red, I wasn't exactly comfortable myself. I can barely turn around in here."

Liz sighed. "That's different, Red, you know it hurts him if he gets too dry. Look, let's just stop bickering and go eat, ok?"

Hellboy shoved back the covers and slid out of bed. "Fine, fine." He groused.

After everyone had dragged themselves out of bed, they left the room and went back to the area they had been in the night before. To their surprise, the table they had been seated at was set with plates and cutlery, and a heap of steaming waffles was in the centre.

"Now we're talking!" Hellboy exclaimed. He quickly claimed a chair and grabbed a stack of waffles, slapped them on his plate and drenched them with a nearby container of syrup.

"Geez, save some for us!" Liz teased. Her and Abe took their own seats just as Sorenson and Anders entered the room, looking pale and worried.

"Agents," Anders said, "Bad news. More killings no more than two hours ago. Three more children."

Hellboy froze with his fork halfway to his mouth. Liz covered her mouth. "Oh, no."

"We must stop this right away. Our country is in a panic." Anders continued. "Please, do finish your meals as you will need your energy, but you must leave soon for Store Grankule. Our men will load your weapons into the vehicle for you." With this, him and Sorenson departed.

"Never a dull moment," Hellboy muttered, and stuffed his forkful of waffle into his mouth. Following suit, Liz and Abe hurriedly shoveled back their food.

Half an hour later they were suited up. The same two men who had escorted them into the bunker escorted them out into a waiting truck out front. They all climbed into the back of the military-style vehicle and sat down on the benchlike seats lining the sides. The men pushed the door closed, and someone climbed in front and fired up the engine.

Liz huddled in her seat and crossed her arms over herself. "Those poor kids," She said. "I can't imagine what their parents are going through. I really hope we can stop this."

"Have we ever lost before? Don't worry yourself." Hellboy gruffly reassured her. He snapped open the clips on the heavy case of the Samaritan and tipped the lid back. He pulled out the gun and opened its chamber, then mused over the assortment of bullets fitted into the inside of the lid. "Hey, Blue, you got that book handy with you? I need some idea of what to use on Tall, Dark and Ugly. It's been almost thirty years since I read it."

"One moment," Abe said. He reached into one of the large satchels on his belt and drew out the old book. He opened it and leafed through the yellowed pages. He sighed.

"Descriptions of Grendel are rather poor, but…." He flipped a few more pages over. "Here we are. From the descriptions that I can gather, Grendel could be either a giant or a demon. Perhaps, he was an ogre or a troll. Whatever the creature was, it was humanoid, possessing arms and hands. The poem seems to indicate that Grendel was a water-demon. What Grendel looked like was anyone's guess. The writer informs us that the creature had lived in the fens and moors since early Biblical times; that being around the era that the Old Testament would have been recorded."

"Mmm. That's not a lot to go on." Hellboy grumbled. "Anything else?"

Abe turned over more pages silently for a few minutes, then said, "The story does verify that while everyone slept, Grendel struck. The demon killed and carried off thirty of King Hrothgar's brave thanes. Grendel took the corpses back to his lair at the bottom of the lake, and fed from the blood and flesh of the slain warriors."

"The lake? Which lake? The same one we're headed to?" Hellboy inquired.

"Doesn't say the name. It's a possibility." Abe commented, then continued, "You might not like this. It indicates that Hrothgar fought with Grendel for twelve years without even harming the creature, until Beowulf came along. It seems it could not be harmed by weapons of war."

Hellboy hoisted up his gun. "Well, they didn't have anything like The Samaritan here. Doesn't it mention any weaknesses this thing might have had?"

"Well, no, but Beowulf did ultimately kill it by tearing its arm off with his bare hands. The creature retreated back to the bottom of the lake where it perished."

Hellboy laughed. "Ha! Easy as pie. Pop Old Ugly's arm off, he drops dead. Lessee here…" He traced his finger along the selection of bullets. "No…no…nah…Aha! This should get the job done pretty quickly. Holy water, hollow tip. Should take his arm right off and make it sting a bit too, for good measure."

"Red, you're putting the cart before the horse here." Abe cautioned. "Don't you think the beast will be much more careful this time around?"

Hellboy rolled his eyes. "Look, buddy, these kinds of guys are as dumb as stumps. They never have anything else going on upstairs beyond 'KILL-EAT'. It'll be a piece of cake."

Abe closed the book and sighed, then glanced at Liz. "I see we're going to have to cover for his big, red bottom again." He remarked. Liz smirked.

"Go ahead, say what you want. You'll see. It'll be no problem." Hellboy huffed. He fitted several of the chosen bullets into the gun's chamber and closed it. "Lock and load."

45 minutes later the truck came to a stop. Shortly the back was opened and they were greeted by Anders, who looked nervous.

"Here we are, my friends," He said. "Agent Sorenson had some important matters to attend to, so he sent me along. You'll forgive me if I stay in the truck with our operatives. We are very uncomfortable walking about this area."

"No problemo. We'll take care of things." Hellboy assured him. Anders nodded in appreciation and returned to the front of the truck.

Hellboy climbed out, followed by Liz and Abe, and they all looked around.

They were at the edge of a large, dark, murky lake. Some willow trees lined the shore on the other side. There were reeds and cattails along the water's edge. All the vegetation looked brownish and sickly. The area was eerily quiet, and a chilly, intermittent breeze stirred the trees. All evidence of bodies had been removed, but the faint smell of blood still hung in the air.

Abe extended his palm towards the water, but suddenly recoiled and stumbled back, holding his head in his hands. "Ahh!…" he gasped.

Hellboy ran over to him and steadied him. "Whoa, there, pal. What do you feel?"

Abe shook his head, blinking furiously. "Overwhelming evil. In the water. I'm seeing…after-images…of what happened. The children – oh, they're screaming…." He covered his face with his hands, and his shoulders began to tremble.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Hellboy said in hushed tones, trying to reassure him, obvious distress in his voice. He led Abe over to the edge of the open truck and sat him down, resting his hand on Abe's shoulder. "You gonna be alright?"

Abe gave a shuddering sigh, the bubbles in his respirator chamber rolling out in a flurry. "Yes. I just…need a moment. I opened myself up too quickly. I didn't realize it would be so bad. I just need a few minutes to process it all."

"Understood." Hellboy said. "You relax. I'm gonna scout a bit. Liz, can you keep him company?"

"Of course," Liz said sympathetically, coming over and sitting beside Abe. She reassuringly patted him on the back.

Hellboy walked towards the lake, his hand resting on the butt of his gun. He reached the water's edge and stopped, the lake lapping at the toes of his boots.

He peered out over the water. "Oh, Grendel…." He said softly, in a singsong voice, "Come out, come out, wherever you are…"

He listened, his eyes darting around, looking for something. Nothing happened.

He picked up a small rock on the shore and tossed it out into the middle of the lake. It hit the surface with a _ker-PLUNK_ and sank.

Several seconds passed. Still nothing.

Hellboy abruptly turned on his heel and headed back for the truck. "Nobody's home," he said.

Abe, looking somewhat better, eyed the lake. "The story says that Grendel came out at night, which agrees with the recent murders. I think the monster is sleeping right now. I hate to be the one to suggest it, but we may have to camp out. I've got the feeling it will be far too dangerous to even attempt going into the lake. It's very deep and the water is too dark."

Liz held up her hands. "No. Oh no. This is creepy enough as it is. No way am I gonna be lying in a tent in pitch darkness next to a monster's home."

Hellboy put his arm around her. "Babe, you know I won't let anything happen to you. I'll be by your side the whole time. It looks like we're going to have to wait for it. C'mon, I don't like this either, but you know we can't let any more kids die."

Liz closed her eyes. "I know. I know. I'm just…scared."

"As we all are," Abe confided. "But unfortunately, it's part of the job."

They located a thick stand of trees a couple hundred yards from the lake, and made a clearing in the middle of it. After a few minutes of searching, they finally found the emergency tent which was always stowed away with their supplies, and set it up in the small clearing. They tossed some rations and drinks inside, and then Hellboy approached the passenger side of the truck, and knocked on the window. Anders rolled it down and looked out at him.

"Hey, we can handle it from here now. You guys gonna go back to the bunker? The monster might be suspicious if it comes out and sees a truck here."

Anders shook his head. "There is a forested area just a bit up the hill here – we will drive up there and park behind the trees where we cannot be seen. If there is trouble it will be our duty to assist you in any way we can. Here…" Anders reached into a bag on the floor and handed three small, black boxy objects with a button on each. "…distress signals. Clip these on your belts. If you need help, push the button and we will receive the signal on our computer."

Hellboy nodded. "Much obliged." He stepped back, and Anders waved and rolled up the window. The agent behind the wheel fired up the engine, and the truck crawled up the hill and disappeared.

Hellboy returned to the tent, where Abe and Liz had already laid out their necessities. Liz looked at her watch. "It's just after noon, Red. It's going to be awhile before sundown. What do we do now?"

Hellboy shrugged. "We make sure our weapons are all in working order…then we wait."

Several long hours later, the sun had finally begun to sink below the trees, and the sky took on an orange hue. Hellboy pulled three pairs of night-vision goggles out of his pack and handed one to Liz and Abe.

"Check out these babies. Brand-new. They have a zoom function too, so we won't need to get closer than we have to." He slipped his pair on and adjusted them. "Works great. We'll be able to see Big Ugly, no problem."

"Red, may I suggest we keep our voices down? We don't want to alert the creature to our presence. It may be waking up soon." Abe whispered.

"Good thinking." Hellboy whispered. "Let's keep an eye out now."

A couple more hours passed. Darkness was now blanketing the area, and there was no sound but the wind passing through the trees. They began to get fidgety and bored. Abe took out the book and leafed through it. Hellboy's mood grew increasingly sour, and the sound of turning pages began to grate on his nerves. Eventually he turned towards Abe.

"Cut that out, willya?" he hissed.

Abe looked up at him. "My, aren't we grumpy. I'm trying to gain some more information here."

Hellboy snorted. "Well, you might as well forget it. This is a waste of our time. I'm pretty much convinced now that this whole Grendel thing is a bunch of bullsh-"

His words were interrupted by a sudden splashing noise from the water.

"Quiet!" Liz said, and they all zoomed in the view on their goggles.

Something was moving in the middle of the lake. Through their goggles they could only see a glowing greenish lump among the water, but it gradually began to slowly rise. They watched open-mouthed as a tall, hulking form slowly drifted out of the lake and onto shore, where it stood silently, trails of water pouring off its body hair. It stood motionless for a few moments, then raised its head and sniffed the air. A deep moan rose from it, and they all cringed in fear.

To their horror, the hulking mass turned and began to walk slowly right towards the stand of trees they were hiding in. They froze. Abe opened his palm towards the beast, and quickly snapped it shut again.

"Oh crap, oh crap. Does it know we're here?" Hellboy struggled to keep his voice to a whisper.

"It knows something's not right. It's coming over to check it out. Get ready!" Abe whispered, drawing his gun from his belt. Hellboy quickly pulled out the Samaritan. Liz didn't want to sprout a flame, as she was afraid she'd burn the tent down, so she took cover behind Hellboy and readied herself. Hellboy glanced around at them. "On my word," he whispered.

The beast took a few more heavy steps, branches snapping under its feet. It raised its head and sniffed again. They could hear the heavy "Whuff" of its breath as it exhaled, and a terrible smell wafted through the air as it drew closer, of rotting meat and mildew. Liz had to cover her mouth to keep from retching.

Soon it was within a few feet of the stand of trees, and stood there weaving back and forth. There was a humid heat radiating from its body that they could all feel.

"NOW!" Hellboy yelled suddenly, and exploded out of the bush. The creature, surprised, flung its arms up and let out a huge, terrible bellow. Hellboy sprang towards it and drove his stone fist into its jaw with all his might. The beast thundered to the ground, but with a speed belying its size, rolled over and got up, unfazed. Abe shot at it, emptying a few rounds into its stinking flesh, but they had no effect.

Grendel screamed in anger, and swept its long, hairy arm up like a scythe. It hit Abe squarely in the chest and sent him flying back. The beast then turned back to Hellboy.

Hellboy raised the Samaritan and cocked the hammer. "Say goodnight, Grendel." He squeezed the trigger.

The shot exploded through the darkness, briefly illuminating the scene. Liz screamed as she saw the creature in the flash, in detail that that night goggles didn't reveal; an almost featureless face, with a huge gaping mouth, lined with large, rotting teeth. Its protruding tongue was black and slimy-looking. Coarse, stringy brown hair was all over its body, caked with mud and scraps of flesh. She couldn't hold back this time and vomited violently onto the ground.

The bullet tore into Grendel's skull, the hollow tip doing its work and blowing a large hole in its head. Brain matter and viscera splattered everywhere, and thick green blood boiled up out of its mouth, drowning out Grendel's final scream in a sickening gurgle. Liz vomited again, gasping and choking.

The hulking form swayed, and then tumbled heavily to the ground. Everyone stood there, frozen to the spot. Several excruciating moments passed. All that could be heard was their ragged breathing, and a steady hissing as the holy water in the bullets ate away at Grendel's ruined flesh.

Hellboy shoved the Samaritan back into its holster. "Well, that takes care of that." He ran over to Liz and put his arm around her. "You okay?"

Liz gave a hacking cough. "Yeah…I think so…check on Abe…" She coughed again, spitting out flecks of vomit.

"Oh, crap." Hellboy gasped. He dashed over to where Abe was still lying on the ground. He knelt by his side and saw that Abe was conscious, but gasping. "Hey, buddy, are you Alright?" Hellboy asked urgently.

Abe tried to catch his breath. "Yes…just knocked the wind out of me…" He gasped.

Hellboy patted his back. "Hang in there. I think we got him." He stayed by Abe's side until his breathing returned to normal, then helped him up and they went to examine the creature.

The large form laid motionless on the ground. Its green blood had formed a puddle of ooze around it, and a thick, vile smell permeated the air.

Hellboy pinched his nose. "Holy geez, that reeks. This has gotta be the stinkiest sonofabitch we ever took out." He went to attend to Liz while Abe pulled on a pair of gloves from his belt satchel and began to collect flesh and hair samples, stuffing them into small glass tubes.

Hellboy was back in the tent with Liz, gently rubbing her back, when Abe came in, a look of concern on his face. He had the open book in his hands.

"Red, we may have a problem."

Hellboy stood up. "That's never a good thing. What now?"

Abe pointed to a passage in the book. "Grendel was not alone in the story. According to this, after Beowulf had slain the beast, Grendel's mother mourned for the loss of her monstrous offspring. Grendel's mother was even more hideous and evil than her son was. The night when the Danes celebrated victory, Grendel's mother decided to avenge her son's death upon the unsuspecting Danes."

Hellboy closed his eyes. "Aw, man. Please tell me that thing didn't come back from the dead too."

His plea was answered by a hellish scream from outside. They all looked out quickly to see another dripping, hairy form hunched over the body of Grendel, moaning and screaming.

"Oh, Goddamnit." Hellboy growled, and leapt up, drawing his gun out again. Before he was even clear of the trees, the form had turned and began to run for the road that led back in the direction of the bunker, and ultimately, into the town. Abe lifted his hand towards the fleeing creature, then grabbed Hellboy's arm. "Red, it means to kill the townspeople!"

Hellboy jabbed the button on his distress call, and not a minute later a set of headlights came glaring over the top of the hill and the truck came roaring towards them. Hellboy pulled open the back and all three of them leapt in. "After that monster!" He yelled, pointing out the window towards the beast, who was getting farther away and gaining speed.

The driver, who could not understand English, looked back at Hellboy with an expression of shock and confusion.

"KøRE!" Anders yelled at him, and the driver floored the gas, jolting the occupants of the truck backwards.

They flew down the road, trying to catch up to the creature who, like its son, was moving with remarkable speed. Anders stuck his.38 out the window and fired. A round hit the beast in the back, but it kept galloping as if the bullet had been a pebble.

"Don't even try!" Hellboy yelled to Anders. "Regular bullets can't hurt it!" Anders heard him and withdrew his gun. Hellboy aimed the Samaritan out the window and fired at Grendel's mother. The bullet hit her in the thigh. She let out a sharp shriek, but kept running. The round appeared to have done very little damage.

"Oh, great, just great!" Hellboy groaned. He turned to Abe, who was flipping through the book again. "C'mon, c'mon, does it say in there how this one was killed?"

Abe scanned the pages, trying to hold the book steady among the bumping of the truck as they raced along the road. "Yes – it says that when Beowulf came to slay her, he went directly to her lair under the lake. There was a sword there – it doesn't say the sword's name – but the mighty weapon was possibly forged by a giant. The warrior seized the sword by the hilt, and delivered a powerful stroke that severed the monster's head."

"Oh, perfect, we've got LOTS of giant-forged swords with us!" Hellboy yelled. "What the hell are we gonna do?

Abe thought quickly. "Maybe, if we can catch up to the creature, you could wrestle with her a bit – we could turn the truck around and I could go into the lake and try to locate her lair. We're still close to the lake. A similar weapon might be there…"

"Oh! Real simple plan! Are you kidding me?" Hellboy shouted.

"Red, this could be our only chance! Even our weapons aren't stopping her!" Liz yelled.

Hellboy scowled. "Dammit. I always gotta do the dirty work." He hoisted himself out the open window and onto the roof of the truck.

They were catching up to the beast. Hellboy crouched and waited as they slowly drew closer, while Abe explained the plan to Anders inside the truck. Anders translated rapidly to the driver, who nodded in understanding.

When they were less than a hundred yards from the beast, Hellboy sprung from the roof and landed right on her shoulders. She stumbled, stopped, and reared back, roaring, trying to shake him off. He wrapped his arms around her neck and hung on tight.

Seeing that he had her, the truck screeched around, kicking up dust, and sped back down the road towards the lake. When it reached there, before it even stopped, Abe leapt out and hit the ground running, and dove headfirst into the dark water.

He blinked hard, trying to adjust his eyes to the water. It was so dark, it was almost like swimming in ink. He could see nothing, so he held out his hands and began to use his mind's powers to sense his way through the blackness.

He swam as fast as he could, down, down, down farther than he thought was possible. When he had reached a depth of about 80 feet, his hand suddenly touched rock. He felt around and discovered that he had found the mouth of a cave.

He entered cautiously. In his mind's eye, he could see that it was without a doubt the lair of Grendel and his mother – there were piles of bones and armor strewn about, centuries old. The failed weapons of those who had dared to face the creatures lay rusting on the floor of the lake.

Abe worriedly felt through the strewn pile of weapons, but could not find anything suitable. Just as he began to feel overcome with desperation, he sensed an unusual energy coming from one corner of the cave.

He swam over to investigate. It was coming from the floor of the cave. He brushed his hand along the thick layer of silt, and it flew up in a cloud. A gleam of bright metal appeared from under the silt.

Not waiting another moment, Abe grabbed the object and swam with all his might back for shore. He rocketed out of the water and ran back for the truck, leaping in. "Go!" He yelled. The truck lurched into gear.

As they sped back down the road, Liz stared wide-eyed at the object in Abe's hands. Having regained his eyesight now that he had left the murky water, Abe looked down at what he had seized.

A short sword with an ornately gilded hilt rested in his hands. Some kind of lettering which they had never seen was engraved along the blade. It was covered in seaweed, which Abe wiped off. Although obviously ancient, the metal was bright and gleaming, as if it had never aged.

Liz looked up at Abe. "Blue…do you think….?"

Abe turned the sword over in his hands. "It may not be the same sword that Beowulf used, but there was an energy coming off this one that was different than the other weapons down there. We have to try it."

Liz bit her lip worriedly and nodded.

A couple minutes later, the wrestling figures of Hellboy and Grendel's mother appeared off the side of the road. The driver slammed on the brakes, spinning to a stop, and Abe and Liz leapt out.

Hellboy was fighting a losing battle. Him and the monster were rolling along the ground, exchanging blows. The monster had a few light wounds, but Hellboy was crisscrossed in scratches and abrasions, and was bleeding steadily from a couple bad wounds. Sweat was pouring off him from the exertion.

Abe lifted the sword. "RED! CATCH!" He yelled, and flung the weapon.

The bright sword twirled through the air towards them. Hellboy managed to stick his arm out, and just barely caught the weapon by the hilt. Grendel's mother suddenly released him, looking at the sword that Hellboy was brandishing with a look of horror.

"You won't have to cry for sonny-boy any more," Hellboy gasped. He raised the sword over his head.

Grendel's mother screamed.

Her voice was cut short as the ancient metal flashed down and sliced through her vocal cords. Her neck opened up, and her head fell back, attached by only a piece of skin. The same green blood that was spilled by Grendel gushed from her arteries like a vile fountain. He body fell to the ground, with the grotesque head lolling against her back.

Hellboy gave a roar and plunged the sword through her shoulder blades, then collapsed on the ground beside her.

"Red…Red? Wake up."

Liz's voice came floating to Hellboy's ears almost like someone was turning up the volume on a stereo. He felt something warm brushing his face. He stirred and opened his eyes.

Liz's worried face was above him, and she was gently stroking his cheek. "Oh, Red. Thank goodness you're okay. It's all over now…you did it."

Hellboy groaned and sat up, wincing in pain, and checked himself. He was bruised and bandaged, but otherwise in one piece. He realized that he was back in the bunker, lying on the too-small cot.

He rubbed his head. "Ugggh. Good thing that's over with….I was starting to get a headache."

Liz grinned and hugged him. Over her shoulder, he saw Abe, Agent Sorenson and Anders looking on with a smile. Agent Sorenson stepped forward and took Hellboy's hand, shaking it heartily and speaking in Danish.

"Agent Sorenson thanks you for the great service you have done for us," Anders translated. "You have saved our people. We are in debt to all of you."

Hellboy waved it off. "Hey, it's our job. Think nothing of it."

Anders translated for Sorenson, who smiled warmly. He then motioned to Liz and spoke to Anders again.

Anders look over at Liz. "Miss Sherman, at this time we could use your special talents…we need to make sure that this does not ever happen again."

Liz nodded. "I understand."

Abe helped Hellboy stand up, and they headed outside the bunker, where the creature's grotesque bodies had been brought back and dumped in a stinking heap onto the dirt road. Liz went and stood over them.

"Waitaminute!" Hellboy said, he went over and examined a thatch of short, bristly hair on Grendel's neck. He then pulled out the sword that was still embedded in his mother's back, and sliced off a thatch of it, skin and all.

Liz wrinkled her nose. "Ewww. Trophy?"

Hellboy gave her a lopsided grin. "Kinda. You'll see." He stepped back and joined the others waiting by the door. "Okay, Sparky, do your stuff."

Liz smirked at him and turned back to the bodies. She closed her eyes and lifted her head, and a blue flame suddenly poured from her outstretched hands. It traveled down her legs and immediately ignited the hair of the beasts. She stood there, bathed in ethereal flame, among the sizzling corpses. Everyone squinted against the bright heat, watching what was left of the monsters slowly dissolve.

A short time later, Liz walked away, exhausted, from the pile of ashes which were quickly scattered and blown away by the wind.

After more warm thanks and good-byes from Sorenson, Anders and the other agents, Hellboy, Liz and Abe were given gifts of fine Danish cheeses and other foods, which they gratefully accepted, and were then flown back home. Hellboy and Liz immediately went for the comfort of their beds, and Abe was pleasantly surprised to see that his tank had been repaired. After a long sleep, and still a bit jet-lagged, Abe awoke to a whirring sound. He looked around, but couldn't see anything in the library that could be making the noise.

The whirring stopped, and Hellboy emerged from Prof. Broom's office, a floor buffer in his hand.

"Red, what on earth are you doing?" Abe asked, somewhat cranky.

Hellboy grinned. "I noticed awhile ago that Pop's office floor could really use a waxing, and I thought that Grendel's hair might make a good buffing pad…"

"You didn't!" Abe said in surprise.

Hellboy lifted up the buffer to reveal a poufy brown disc on the bottom. "Uh huh. After I cleaned it off, of course. And guess what?…It did a hell of a good job! The ugly bugger was good for something after all."

Abe shook his head in disbelief, but couldn't help but laugh.

FIN


End file.
